Snippet #1699387

[color=black]The Terrans were caught by surprise. The gunship went down first, the rocket-propelled grenades having punched a massive hole in the center, its pilots radioing for help in the precious seconds before it crashed along the highway, behind the tanker. It was no matter, the watch officers at Fort Veritas could see the flashes of fire in the sudden ambush, and Admiral Fatih Sayilgan was already scrambling another entire unit of gunships from the base the fifteen seconds to the impromptu battle...

"Hold on, Dad," Wurzman said, diverting her father's voice into her earpiece as she snapped the phone shut, sliding it into her pocket. Her father could hear the sounds of explosions and rapid machine gun fire coming through the tinny speakers, and Wurzman shouted, "Corporal, the guns!" but the corporal was already at the controls for the mounted 40mm gun atop the tank, returning fire in the general direction of the Saber and the terrorists with vibrations that shook the tank itself. "FULL SPEED AHEAD, BAKER!" Wurzman screamed at the driver, who slammed his foot on the gas, swerving wildly to the right along the empty eight lanes of the highway only seconds before the thermobaric round made contact with the side of the tank, exploding and sending the tank skidding across the highway. It rolled, the metal armor plates crunching, bent but not broken, and when it came to a stop, followed closely by the remaining vehicles, the soldiers inside were already taking positions with their standard issue assault rifles, firing in the direction of the insurgents.

The reinforcements were about seven seconds away.

Wurzman rolled from the damaged tank along with her men, taking cover behind the toppled vehicle. "I love you, Dad," she whispered, and her father said something on the other end, but she didn't quite hear it, too consumed with the sounds of gunfire. Wurzman reached for a sniper's rifle through the open hatch of the tank, checked the rack, and looked through the